In Mexico City, the new 135-room LIVE AQUA BOSQUES [above] (feel-aqua.com) brings tranquility to the capital with minimalist design and in-room aromatherapy menus plus a restaurant developed by celebrity chef Martha Ortiz.


Joining Miami’s chic Collins Avenue clutch of hotels, the 390-room JAMES ROYAL PALM [right] (jameshotels.com) debuts this winter with two pools, a beachside restaurant, and spa.

The new QT SYNDEY (qtsydney.com.au) unites two historic 1929 buildings, originally adepartment store and theater, in one 200-room social hub with a thronged lounge, two restaurants, and a six-room spa featuring an old-fashioned barbershop.

Twenty one-bedroom casitas, each with its own pool, just opened at ROYAL ISABELA (royalisabela.com) in Puerto Rico, home to an acclaimed golf course and a farm-to-table restaurant overseen by David Pasternack of New York City’s Esca.